


Home at Last

by QuidditchSeason1977



Series: Writer's Workshop - Flash Fiction Edition [5]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Children of Characters, F/M, Female Bilbo Baggins, Female Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:54:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26004493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuidditchSeason1977/pseuds/QuidditchSeason1977
Summary: Thorin and Brianna's return to the Lonely Mountain. Along the way, they get to know each other again and discuss their fears of what the future might bring.A continuation of my story "Why Did You Come Back?"
Relationships: Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield
Series: Writer's Workshop - Flash Fiction Edition [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1866859
Comments: 3
Kudos: 119





	Home at Last

**Author's Note:**

> Written for prompt #36 of my Writer's Workshop - Flash Fiction Edition list. That list is a 52 prompts that are supposed to be written as quickly as possible (time limit - 2 hours) and be about 500 - 1000 words long.
> 
> I'm really terrible at sticking to that last condition when it comes to Hobbit fics, if you hadn't noticed yet. I'm not super happy with this one, actually, but I'm going to post it anyways. I might be coming back to edit later though.
> 
> The full prompt list can be found on the series page.
> 
> I don't own anything from The Hobbit.

Despite what Dwalin had implied, more than just he and Thorin had made the trip across the Misty Mountains to see Brianna. They had also brought a small group of guards, though no one else from the Company had come. Brianna was glad for the presence of others. She would have worried far too much about Tara and Bronwyn if it had just been herself, Thorin, and Dwalin to guard them. Though she did still worry – the journey was not without peril, after all.

They did not take the same route the Company had before, either, but rather the longer (but safer) road east from The Shire to the Bruinen River and then across the Misty Mountains slightly east of where the Bruinen River and Amon Sûil met. It was a lower pass that took several days to traverse but was both easier on the ponies and had far fewer stone giants and goblins. Brianna found it much more to her liking than the High Pass nearer to Rivendell. Once they were through the Misty Mountains, they followed the Gladden River east to the Mirkwood. The Mirkwood was far brighter, though still gloomy, than it had been when Brianna had last seen it. The road, not the Old Forest Road (as that apparently still had issues with those nasty spiders), wound northeast until it emerged from the forest and followed the River Running north to Esgaroth and the Long Lake. Esgaroth had been rebuilt on the south shore (much more sensibly, Brianna thought) and they were able to take a barge across the lake. From there, it was only a short day’s ride to Dale (now a mostly rebuilt, bustling city) and then a further two day’s journey to Erebor.

Through all that time, Thorin and Brianna spoke and got to know each other once again. It had, after all, been five years since they’d seen each other, and they hadn’t parted on the best of terms. They spoke of what they had done through their separation, they spoke of the twins, and they spoke of the future. They spoke of the line of succession (Fili first, then Tara – though Brianna fervently hoped that would not be for many years yet). They spoke of what they hoped life in Erebor would be. They spoke of the twins’ education and development might be. Brianna explained that they were slightly behind where a hobbit fauntling might be – at this age, a fauntling would be just starting to figure out walking on two legs. The twins were only just figuring out crawling. Thorin commented that they were slightly ahead of where dwarrow children would be – dwarrow did not start to crawl until they were eight and walking happened around the age of twelve.

They spoke of fears – of Thorin’s fears of the gold-lust returning - or affecting their daughters. Of Brianna’s fears that the dwarrow would not accept an outsider for their queen – especially one who had once been called traitor. Or that their daughters would not be welcomed in the Mountain because of their mixed heritage – though that was being proven false on the journey as the guards, Thorin, and Dwalin all doted upon the girls. It was Dwalin who explained that children came only rarely to the dwarrow and that only one third of dwarrow children were born female. Add the fact that they were twins, and _both_ were girls? Well, the twins would certainly be spoiled by the entirety of the Mountain and taken as Mahal’s favor upon Thorin’s line. This explanation soothed Brianna somewhat but there were still lingering fears. Both Thorin and Dwalin knew that only living in the Mountain and experiencing it for herself would banish them completely.

The party arrived at Erebor midway through the afternoon of a sunny midsummer day. All were relieved to have returned – everyone was quite sick of traveling. Tara and Bronwyn, as good as they had been, were also decidedly done with spending the greater part of every day seated in front of their Mama or Adad. The adults understood – it was a very long journey for such little people – but if Brianna and Thorin had heaved twin sighs of relief once they had passed through Erebor’s gates… well, no one else in the party could blame them.

Their arrival did not go unnoticed or unremarked upon. As grooms arrived to tend the horses and porters to see to their belongings, bystanders began to recognize their king and whisper about his return with a hobbit woman. And two daughters!

Whispers spread quickly, and it was no surprise to either Thorin, Brianna, or Dwalin that a runner arrived and announced that the Company would be waiting to meet with the travelers in their common room.

“Their common room?” Brianna asked.

“Aye,” answered Dwalin, “it gives all of us a place to gather with our families. We have dinner there every night with everyone who can attend. And since His Royal Broodiness,” here he nudged Thorin, “was in a generous mood after the elves left, he was handing out titles left and right to members of the Company. So, it gives us a place to do business as well.”

Brianna nodded. That made sense. Thorin snorted. “You lot all earned your positions. I’d rather work with people I know I can trust to get the job done right then people who are only in it for the prestige of a title.” Brianna smiled. That sounded like her soul mate.

They travelled through Erebor, whispers still following them, and two dwarrow pointed out places of interest along the way. They made certain to point out the path to the library, just before they passed through the doors to the Royal Halls (rightly assuming Brianna would be spending a great deal of time there) and Dwalin pointed out Thorin’s quarters with a smirk. Thorin, blushing slightly, pointed out the door next to his. “Those will be your rooms, if you like them,” he said. “I organized them before I left to see you. There will have to be some adjustments made, since I wasn’t expecting the girls, but-“

Brianna cut him off. “I’m sure they will be wonderful.”

They took a left and then arrived outside a set of double doors. “This be the company commons,” said Dwalin, taking Bronwyn from Brianna, opening the doors and gesturing her in first.

Brianna was glad he’d taken Bronwyn when she was immediately hugged by Bofur, then passed to Fili, then Kili, and then to everyone else. Each dwarf made sure to mention how much he missed her and was glad she was returned and had she and Thorin worked things out yet? Before the next dwarf snatched her away again.

Nori was the last dwarf to greet her and he held her out and asked, “Now what’s this I hear about children?”

This question started another round of increasingly loud questioning that Brianna hadn’t a hope to be able to speak over. It seemed, somehow, that the rumors of children hadn’t reached anyone else in the company (Brianna suspected Nori and his sense of both the dramatic and mischief). And somehow, they hadn’t noticed the girls in Thorin’s or Dwalin’s arms yet either.

The noise soon grew loud enough to irritate Bronwyn, who made her displeasure loudly known from Dwalin’s arms (she was _so very like her father_ ).

It was almost comical how quickly the dwarrow turned to face the doorway where Thorin was trading children with Dwalin. Tara, who also looked annoyed but was not yet screaming, studied the dwarrow in return. Bronwyn continued to scream as Thorin tried to soothe her.

“Well, as you can see,” said Brianna into the silence, “that rumor happens to be true.” She caught Thorin’s eye with a question. Thorin nodded his answer, then turned to the dwarrow.

“My kin,” Thorin began, in a solemn voice, “I would like to introduce you to our eldest daughter, Tara,” Dwalin held her up a little higher, “and our youngest daughter Bronwyn.” Thorin held her up in turn, "Princesses Under the Mountain."

Brianna glanced around the room. The dwarrow were grinning. Fili and Kili seemed to only barely be keeping themselves from shouting. She suspected that it was only the current upset of the children that was keeping them from doing so.

A dwarrowdam waiting in the corner of the room stepped forward. Brianna hadn’t noticed her before, in all the confusion of the company greeting her, but she now saw that there were other dwarrow standing or sitting in the back part of the room. She assumed they were family to the members of the company.

She knew immediately that the dwarrowdam moving to stand before Thorin had to be his sister Dis. She looked so much like him. Dis tapped his forehead with her own, gently so as not to disturb the finally calm Bronwyn, and said “Mahal truly has blessed you, brother.”

There were a chorus of “ayes” and “he certainly has” and “two daughters!” from the spectators. Brianna, as she took Tara from Dwalin and moved to stand by Thorin to receive congratulations from her friends and their families, felt the last of her fears of raising her children in the Mountain melt away. She smiled to herself. They were all together and home at last.


End file.
